Best of the West
Civil War vet Sam Best picks up and moves out West to Copper Creek with his wife Elvira and son Daniel. Best, who is not handy with a gun and would rather talk than fight, then becomes the town marshal, much to the chagrin of shady town boss Parker Tillman and his dumb sidekick Frog.
- 1981-1982
- 1 season
- ABC
- Comedy, Action & Adventure
Civil War vet Sam Best picks up and moves out West to Copper Creek with his wife Elvira and son Daniel. Best, who is not handy with a gun and would rather talk than fight, then becomes the town marshal, much to the chagrin of shady town boss Parker Tillman and his dumb sidekick Frog.
Season 1 Episode Guide
22 Episodes 1981 - 1982
Episode 1
Pilot
Thu, Sep 10, 1981 25 mins
Immediately after the Civil War, a union soldier takes his southern belle wife to Montana, planning to open a general store and helping change part the wilderness into a thriving community. He has to battle not only the crooked town boss, a notorious gunfighter but his family that are desperate to return to civilization.
Episode 2
The Prisoner
Thu, Sep 17, 1981 24 mins
When Sheriff Lattimer arrives with a prisoner and gets ill from an embedded arrowhead, Sam has to take over. He has to then deal with the eight brothers who arrive to set him free.
Episode 3
Mail Order Bride
Thu, Sep 24, 1981 25 mins
Doc sends for a mail order bride. And when she arrives the gang learns that she's more experienced than Doc thinks she is. And it's at the wedding that she reveals the truth.
Episode 4
The Calico Kid Returns
Thu, Oct 1, 1981 25 mins
When the Calico Kid arrives he announces his retirement as an outlaw and takes on a chef's role at the saloon. However, when a gunslinger challenges him to a gunfight, a plan is needed to avoid bloodshed.
Episode 5
The Reunion
Thu, Oct 8, 1981 24 mins
Elvira's father, a Confederate Colonel who stopped talking to her because she married a Yankee, Sam, comes for a visit. But he's still not talking to her. Sam tries to fix things between them.
Episode 6
The Hanging of Parker Tillman
Thu, Oct 15, 1981 25 mins
Tillman is accused of rustling and is cleverly saved from a lynching mob by Sam. A trial is held, but Tillman's witness doesn't help his case and he is found guilty and promptly sentenced to be hanged.
Episode 7
The Hanging of Parker Tillman: Part II
Thu, Oct 22, 1981 24 mins
Posing as Patch Beaudrey, Sam Best enters a den of thieves to find evidence of Parker Tillman's innocence.
Episode 8
The New Marshal
Thu, Oct 29, 1981 24 mins
Tillman's candidate for new town marshal, Nat Lindsay, wins the election, but he is not as suitable a choice as he seems to be. Everyone, including Tillman, are affected and he has to be stopped.
Episode 9
Daniel's First Love
Thu, Nov 5, 1981 24 mins
According to the mountain man father, his daughter is married to 10-year-old Daniel, after a shotgun wedding. Sam seeks advice on the legalities.
Episode 10
Laney in Love
Thu, Nov 12, 1981 24 mins
Laney gets a date with Tom Hudson, who bids for her at the Copper Creek Box Social. Elvira and Sam help her dress up herself (and her cabin) for the big evening of surprises.
Episode 11
The Railroad
Thu, Nov 19, 1981 24 mins
When the railroad is planning to choose between two locations for their line and one of them is Copper Creek. So the town needs to send someone to meet with the railroad to convince them to choose them. And the ones who are chosen are Sam and Tillman. When they get there, the railroad is looking for a respectable town and Tillman says they are; they even have a church which they don't. The railroad decides to pick Copper Creek. But when a representative from the railroad shows up they need to pretend that they are a congregation. The representative tells Sam that the they are not going through their and why the railroad said they chose their town.
Episode 12
The New Jail
Thu, Nov 26, 1981 24 mins
Sam accidentally shoots himself in the leg and the townspeople think it happened when he went after the Barlow Gang. Despite his embarrassment when they find out, they show confidence in him as their marshal.
Episode 13
A Man, a Woman, and a Horse
Thu, Dec 17, 1981 24 mins
Sam is puzzled when Elvira leaves home after he brings home a horse for her, when she is unhappy about her lifestyle. He has to find a way for her to return home and be happy.
Episode 14
Frog's First Gunfight
Thu, Jan 7, 1982 24 mins
Amos Skinner comes to town to marry his unhappy girlfriend Merilee, but finds she has been flirting with Frog and wants to kill him. This leads to a confrontation in the saloon.
Episode 15
The Calico Kid Goes to School
Thu, Jan 14, 1982 24 mins
The Calico Kid wants to marry his girlfriend Nora and, since he needs a steady job, wants to apply for Marshal at Twin Forks. However, he needs some schooling and to pass the third grade test to get the job.
Episode 16
Tillman Held for Ransom
Thu, Jan 21, 1982 24 mins
Tillman announces the opening of the first bank of Copper Creek - in his office. He is captured by outlaws who hold him for $10,000 ransom. However, the townspeople are reluctant to help him.
Episode 17
The Cave-In
Fri, Feb 12, 1982 24 mins
Elvira is not happy that her stepson Daniel has not yet fully accepted her as his mother. While exploring the outlaw caves out of town, an accident brings them closer together.
Episode 18
Daniel Fights a Bully
Fri, Feb 19, 1982 24 mins
Sam confronts the father of a boy who is bullying Daniel and tells Big John Fletcher to make his boy stop. However, the two end up fighting in an arranged boxing match.
Episode 19
The Pretty Prisoner
Fri, Feb 26, 1982 24 mins
Sam apprehends a female outlaw. Sam has to bring her in for trial. And Elvira is uncomfortable because she's an attractive woman. Later she escapes and when Sam tells them what happened, it's hard for anyone to believe that she outwitted him. Especially since she comes back and says it's because of him.
Episode 20
Elvira's Old Beau
Mon, Jun 7, 1982 24 mins
A man Elvira was engaged to but because he was shot during the war, she met and married Sam instead, has come to town. He tells Sam that he wants her and intends to ask her to go with him. Sam is told by the gang not to do it. But he lets her go anyway. Tillman then tells him that he can spy on them if he wants to through the bear on the wall.
Episode 21
Sam's Life Is Threatened
Mon, Jun 14, 1982 24 mins
Sam learns that a man he arrested escaped and is probably on his way to get him. So he and the others wonder how he will do it. And Frog points out that a woman who just came to town, appears to more familiar with the town for someone who just came. So Sam asks Tillman to go talk to her but what they don't know is that she is the man in disguise.
Episode 22
The Funeral
Mon, Jun 21, 1982 24 mins
In order to outwit the Dugan Gang, Sam agrees to a plan to transport $20,000 contained in a coffin to Silver City. Frog hides in disguise in the coffin to enable the plan to succeed.
